Chapter 10: COSTING AND PRICING OF A DRUG FORMULATION

-T.Srikrishna

We try to explain in this chapter – and hopefully demystify – the costing and pricing of drug
formulations. Most formulations sold in the world are in the form of tablets and capsules and
therefore we focus here on these. The procedure is however the same for all other presentations of a
medicine. We do not discuss the costing of a bulk drug, vaccine, or injectibles here.

Components of Cost

Components of cost of medicines (that is in this case tablets, capsules, liquids) are:
Raw material costs, manufacturing/conversion costs, packing costs, quality control/testing costs,
yield/losses, marketing costs that include trade margins, promotional costs, etc.,.

Raw Material Costs

Raw Material Costs include the actual cost of the raw material and other additives added to make the
final product. The cost of the active ingredient depends on the actual cost of the raw material and its
content in the tablet.

For example tablets of paracetamol/acetaminophen (brand names: Crocin, Metacin) are usually of
500 mg strength. Therefore 1 kg has enough raw material for a maximum of 2000 tablets: that is a
maximum of 2000 paracetamol tablets of 500 mg each can be manufactured. Let us say the price of
paracetamol bulk drug (that is the white powder) is Rs 180 per kg including all taxes. This means the
cost of paracetamol raw material per tablet is Rs 0.09, that is 9 paise. We cannot price it less than 9
paise, unless one wants to make a loss.

Similarly the cost of prednisolone (a steroid) is Rs 35,000 per kg. For a 5 mg tablet the cost of
prednisolone raw material is Re 0.175, i.e., 17.5 paise.

There are fluctuations in the price of raw material - sometimes small and sometimes huge. When the
fluctuation is large it becomes necessary to vary the price of the medicines. For example, some years
back, isoniazid (an important drug in controlling TB) was available at around Rs 375 per kg. As of
writing, the price is around Rs 700 per kg. Paracetamol similarly has seen an increase of around Rs
30 per kg in its price. Which in turn means an increase the price to the end consumer - if you want to
make the same level of profit.

The component of the cost of additives is small in the case of tablets and capsules. In the case of
syrups, the component of the actual raw material (active ingredient) is low. The cost of additives, the
packing, the bottle, the carton and the sugar, are much more than the cost of the actual active
ingredient in the case of syrups. Which is one good reason to discourage use of syrups beyond very
small children.

Once we know the actual cost of the active ingredient in the medicine we get a fairly good idea of the
actual cost of manufacturing the medicine, as we shall see later.

Manufacturing/Conversion Costs

These costs include the cost of labour, electricity, water, etc., needed to manufacture the medicines.
We consider these to be fixed costs to a very large extent. (The operative word here is very large
extent). These costs do not vary much on the production quantities for a given manufacturing setup.
So higher production or better capacity utilisation means that the component of this cost per unit
tablet or capsule comes down because the same costs are allocated on a larger number of products.

Packing Costs

This component of cost is manufacturer dependent. Fancy packing versus utilitarian packing,
determines this component of the cost. Packing should be determined, if you want to keep the costs
low, by the need to maintain the medicine unaffected by the environment and not so much for being
attractive.

Strip packing or blister packing is costlier than bulk packing. The additional cost of blister pack – in
the author’s experience at LOCOST given current costs of strip packing material like aluminum foils,
etc., -- over bulk packing is around Rs 50-100 per 1000 tablets, that is, a strip packed tablet should
cost a maximum of 10 paise over the bulk packed one. That is if the bulk pack of paracetamol costs
Rs 150 per 1000 tablets the strip pack should not cost more than Rs 2.50 per 10 tablets, i.e., Rs 250
per 1000 tablets.

Laboratory/Quality Control Costs

Like manufacturing costs, these costs too are a fixed cost to a very large extent. Increased efficiency
and capacity utilisation bring down the unit cost per tablet or capsule.

There is a wrongly held belief that price is related to quality. This is true only to a certain extent. As
we mentioned earlier, these costs for quality control are fixed and do not vary much and therefore do
not contribute very much to the cost of the medicines.

Yield/Loss

There are manufacturing losses incurred during the process. There are also samples to be drawn for
testing, statutory samples to be maintained with the manufacturer during the life of the product.
Considering all these, the average yield in the case of tablets or capsules is around 98 %. In the case
of syrups the losses are slightly higher - around 5 %, i.e., the yield is 95 %. These losses will also
have to be factored in while calculating costs.

Marketing/Distribution Costs

These costs add up to a substantial portion of the costs. These include margins given to wholesalers
and retailers. The costs of the medical representatives, the gifts and free samples given to the doctors,
all add up to the cost of the medicine.

The usual margins for top-selling brands are supposed to be: 2 to 5 % for the wholesalers and 8 to 16
% for the retailers. In many cases as in generics, especially branded generics, the margins are much
higher. As shown in the other chapters of this book, the pricing of many top-selling brands reveals
that the bare ex-factory costs as calculated by the procedure indicated in this chapter and the retail
price is of the order of even 2000 to 5000 percent. This means actually a lot more margins are made
and shared down the trading chain. Similarly in case of OTC products, which involve a push by the
chemist, the margins are much much higher. Please note that manufacturing costs (that is
converting the powder to the tablet form) for costly material like prednisolone, and for one that
is much less costly like parcetamol, is about the same.

Taxes And Excise Duties

After the manufacturer decides on his/her ex-factory price of the medicine, excise duty is levied
(some essential drugs are exempt however) when the goods leave the factory premises. This rate
varies depending upon the manufacturer. Small-scale units are allowed to pay 9.6 % up to a limit (up
to sale of one crore rupees); and after that it is 16 % whereas other manufacturers are required to pay
uniformly 16 %. The Excise Duty component of the cost gets included in the MRP of the medicine
along with other costs and margins of profit.

State sales tax is levied at the point of first sale in a state – and hence usually recovered by the
manufacturer or his/her agent from a whole saler or a forwarding agent. Other local taxes such as
octroi, etc., are collected as applicable. Tax is not applicable on the MRP –see box below ‘Local
Taxes Extra – who benefits, how?’ although it is collected by all retail pharmacists as a percentage of
the printed MRP (Maximum Retail Price). The sales tax varies from state to state. Not only does the
rate vary but also the list of items taxable and items exempt from tax also vary from state to state.
This component of the cost of the medicine is not included in the MRP. But the sales tax paid by the
first purchaser in the state is collected from the end user –that is the buyer at the retail pharmacy.

BOX
‘Local Taxes Extra’ – who benefits, how?

Assuming that, for sale of medicines, wholesaler’s margin is 10% and retailer’s margin is 20% and ‘x’ is
the amount of local taxes (sales tax, octroi, etc.), say 8.8 %.

Purchase Price at each trading chain Equals Rs

Price

Manufacturer’s Price, ex-factory = Rs 100 100.0

Manufacturer’s Price to Wholesaler = Rs.100 + x 108.8

108.8 Wholesaler’s Price to Retailer = Rs. (100+10%) + x 118.8

118.8 Retailer’s Price to Consumer = Rs. (100+30%) + x 138.8

Note: ‘x’ stands for sales tax and other local levies. Excise duty is paid separately by the manufacturer on his ex-
factory price; and in this example is included in the manufacturer’s selling price of Rs 100/- to the wholesaler.

Sales tax is changed by the manufacturer to the wholesaler (first sale) and paid to the government.
Subsequently, price at other stages of the trade chain becomes inclusive of sales tax amount (already
charged by the manufacturer). But it is not charged again as Sales Tax and therefore, its payment to the
Govt. does not arise. That is every level of trader from wholesaler to the retail pharmacist passes it down
the chain and is ultimately sought to be recovered from the consumer.

If we compare the prices, Rs.108.8, Rs. 118.8, Rs. 138.8, we notice that sales tax amount (Rs.8.8) is
added to the price at only one stage. Subsequent price differences are not wholesaler’s and retailer’s
margins.

The mischief is: Retailers calculate 8.8 % on Rs.130 (MRP), that is Rs 11.44, instead of on original
manufacturer’s price of Rs. 100; 8.8 % on Rs 100 is of course Rs 8.80. Additional (illegal collection by
the retailer if you may) is Rs 11.44 less Rs 8.80 = Rs 2.64 which is not remitted to the government. This
is because sales tax is always levied at the first point of sale in a state and therefore it is always collected
by the manufacturer (or his/her agent or branch office in the state) and remitted to the government. The
retailer pays no sales tax normally as he/she is seldom the point of first sale. In effect it is the ultimate
end user who pays for the tax levied at the point of first sale. And some as we have seen.

This mess of illegal/unjustified collection can be avoided by putting MRP inclusive of all taxes instead
of LTA (local taxes extra). Uniform taxation throughout the country will also help. The difference
collected illegally may appear small – that is because in the example we have chosen, the margins from
manufacturer to seller is about 40 percent only. When this difference is about 400 or 2000 percent, then
the unjustified collection is substantial.

BOX ENDS

Cost Reduction

Considering the various components, lowering Raw Material costs through efficient purchasing
mechanisms like competitive bidding, etc., could reduce costs. As this constitutes the major single
component of the cost any reduction in this will reduce the cost and hence the prices of the medicine.
We have to keep in mind that the cost of the raw material includes the excise duty and taxes paid for
it.

The government has exempted some medicines (like some anti-TB medication from excise duty). A
reduction in rates of excise duty and sales tax of the raw materials and/or finished goods could
therefore reduce the cost and hence the price of the medicine – that is hoping the manufacturers and
the traders pass on the benefits to the customer.

Reduction in production losses and improvement of efficiency and better capacity utilisation would
also reduce the costs. However the scope of reduction of costs on this front are limited considering
the fact that their component in the total costs is not very large.

Marketing costs, costs of fancy packing etc., could however reduce the prices to a large extent.

Schedule M Implementation and Its Costs Implications

The government has introduced a new schedule in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act - Schedule M to
ensure the quality of the medicines manufactured in the country. This schedule lists out various
additional measures that need to be taken while producing medicines.

Some of the measures include setting up Air Handling Units in all the departments. The provisions
for minimum space requirement and equipment required are stricter than the existing requirements.
There are also several documentation and other related requirements not present now. All this
involves an additional capital outlay. This will adversely affect the small-scale industries because
many of them will not be able to find the money to meet all these requirements. It is a debatable point
as to the essentiality of all these requirements.

This additional capital outlay will definitely increase the cost of quality control/quality assurance to a
new level. That is, though the cost would not vary with production it will now move up to a new
higher level and will remain independent of the production quantities at that level. This will in the
final analysis increase the costs of the medicines

Costing of Paracetamol 500 mg Tablets: An Example

These quantities are for a 150,000-tablet batch size. The jargon regarding each component of the cost
is explained later below.
 COSTING FOR PARACETAMOL TABLETS
Quantity Value
required per in Rs.
batch in kgs

RAW MATERIAL COST - Paracetamol 75.000 13480.00

EXCIPIENT COSTS 1016.00

TOTAL RAW MATERIAL COST1 (A) 14496.00

MANUFACTURING COSTS
Labour Cost 1200.00
Electricity Cost 1500.00
Packing Material Cost 1250.00
Testing Charges 1500.00
TOTAL MANUFACTURING COSTS (B) 5450.00

TOTAL COST (A) + (B) 19946.00

TOTAL COST PER 1000 TABS 135.70

Assessable Value 176.40
Excise 12.24
Selling Price 188.64

MRP PER 1000 TABS 234

Raw Material Costs

Each tablet of paracetamol is of 500 mg. Therefore for a batch size of 1,50,000 tablets we would
require 75 kg of paracetamol. The calculation is as follows–

500 mg x 1,50,000 tablets = 75 kg

1000 mg/gm x 1000 gm/kg

In trade parlance the rate of paracetamol is quoted as 149 + + which means the cost of is Rs 149 per
kg + Excise Duty (16 %) + Central Sales Tax (4 %). This works out to Rs 179.75 per kg.

The effective cost for 75 kg is Rs 179.75 / kg x 75 kg = Rs 13481.25 say Rs 13480.

Cost of Excipients

The quantities of additives (excipients) needed for a batch of paracetamol tablets are shown below.
The quantities multiplied by their rates will give us the cost of excipients.

1
That is the total Raw Material Cost per 1000 tablets = Rs 14,496 / 150 = Rs 96.64.
 Quantity Rate Value
Name of Excipient
(in kgs) (Rs per kg) (Rs.)
Maize Starch 7.800 20.75 161.85
Gelatin 3.000 235.00 705.00
Glycerin 1.200 87.50 105.00
Talcum 0.600 13.00 7.80
Mag Stearate 0.300 65.00 19.50
Sod. Starch Glycolate 0.300 56.00 16.80
Total Cost of Excipients 1015.95

Therefore the total cost of excipients is Rs 1015.95 – Let us say Rs 1016.00.

Manufacturing Costs

Labour Cost

This is calculated based on the number of person days required to manufacture a batch, i.e., the
summation of number of persons required for each operation multiplied by the time required for that
operation over all operations.

For example, granulation process usually takes half a day per batch with two persons involved.
Sieving, comminuting and lubrication usually takes half a day per batch and involves two persons.
Time taken for tablet compression is machine and tablet related. There are fast machines, slow
machines and selection of a particular machine is dependent on the nature, size and shape of tablet
being manufactured. At LOCOST, where the author works, a batch of paracetamol of 1,50,000 tablets
takes a day and a half (this includes setting the machine and cleaning after the batch is processed) and
one operator is needed to run the machine.

Packing is labour intensive for strip packing. For a batch of 1,50,000 tablets approximately 6 people
are needed for 4 hours for packing the strips in cartons. Another two are needed to run the machine
for one and a half days.

Bulk packing of 1,50,000 tablets of paracetamol would need 4 persons for half a day.

The costing shown above is for bulk packing of tablets. So the total labour cost would be –

2 x 0.5 + 2 x 0.5 + 1 x 1.5 + 4 x 0.5 = 5.5 person days so let us say 6 person days per batch. If we
assume a rate of Rs 200 per person per day labour cost would work out to Rs 1200 per batch.

Electricity Costs

Each tablet goes through certain manufacturing operations. Some of the common ones are:
Mixing, Granulation, Drying, Sieving and Comminuting, Tabletting, Packing, Coating (in case of
coated tablets).

All tablets do not go through all these operations. The operations are chosen depending upon the
nature of the material being tabletted. One particular machine and sometimes two machines do each
operation.
To calculate the electricity cost for each operation one considers the time taken for each operation,
the machine used, the electricity power required to run that machine. The average cost of electricity
per month is calculated. The average number of hours each machine runs in a month is also
determined based on historical data. These two sets of data will give us the cost of running each
machine per hour. This is then used to determine the electricity cost for each batch depending upon
the machines used.

At LOCOST we have calculated that:

mixing + granulation + comminuting/sieving + drying costs Rs 1100 per batch
Tabletting costs Rs 275 of electricity per 100,000 tablets.
The electricity costs for bulk packing of tablets is negligible.
i.e., for 1.5 lakh tablets the cost is Rs 1100 + Rs 275 x 1.5 = Rs 1512.50, say, Rs 1500.

Packing Material Cost

Most of our products are bulk packed so we have shown the costs for bulk packing.
The jar we pack paracetamol tablets costs us Rs 7.50 per jar. Therefore for 150 jars the cost is Rs 150
x 7.50 = Rs 1125.
The cost of labels is Rs 0.25 x 300 = Rs 75
The approximate cost of the PP (polypropylene) bags used for packing is Rs 50.
Thus the total packing cost is Rs 1125 + 75 + 50 = Rs 1250.

Testing Charges

This includes the total quality control lab expenses, i.e., chemicals, consumable materials, salary of
staff, etc. This is an average cost of the total expenses for the year divided by the number of finished
goods batches tested. Though the tests include raw materials tested, excipients tested, on process tests
and the finished goods tested, the cost is allocated only to the finished goods.

On an average the testing per batch of finished goods costs Rs 1500 per batch.

Total Cost

The total cost is the sum of the Raw Material Cost and the Manufacturing Costs, i.e.,
Rs 14496 + Rs 5450 = Rs 19946

To calculate the total cost per 1000 tablets we divide the total cost by the batch size and also factor in
the production losses. In this case the production losses are 2 % and therefore the total cost would
increase to that extent.

Therefore the cost per 1000 tablets is Rs 19946 x 100 x 1000 = Rs 135.70
1,50,000 x (100 – 2)

That is for a raw material cost (see footnote 1) of Rs 96.64, the value added is Rs 135.70. This is
approximately the value added for all (uncoated) tablets and can be used as a thumb rule to calculate
ex-factory costs of various items, the raw material prices are usually available in the trade journals
like Chemical Weekly, etc.

Assessable Value

Assessable value is the net realisable value for LOCOST. Net realisable value is decided by how
much we want to price it at the first point of sale (to the wholesaler usually). This includes the
margin, a polite word for gross profit.

Excise Duty

Excise Duty is calculated on the assessable value. It is usually 16 % but small-scale industries have a
concessional rate of 9.6 % up to a sale of Rs 1 crore after which they have to pay 16 %.
In the case of excise duty if you see it does not work out to either 16 % or 9.6 % because excise duty
is paid only on the value added. That is, excise duty paid for all the inputs can be subtracted from the
total excise duty payable and hence the figure is lower.

LOCOST selling price works out to Rs 188.64, i.e., say Rs 190 per 1000 tablets for bulk packing.
NPPA and DPCO Norms

The NPPA (National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority) is the implementing agency of the Drug
Prices Control Order (DPCO).

The retail price for price-controlled drugs is to be calculated by the government on the basis of the
following formula given by the DPCO –

R.P = (M.C + C.C + P.M + P.C) X (1 + MAPE/100) +ED.

Where –
R.P means retail price that is the price printed on the pack.

M.C means Material Cost and includes the cost of drugs and other additives used including overages,
if any, plus process loss thereon.

C.C. means Conversion Cost worked out in accordance with established procedures of costing.

P.M. means Cost of Packing Material used in the packing of concerned medicine including process
loss.

P.C. means Packing Charges worked out in accordance with established procedures of costing.

MAPE (Maximum Allowable Post Manufacturing Expenses) means all costs incurred by a
manufacturer from the stage of ex-factory cost to retailing and includes trade margin and margin for
the manufacturer and it shall not exceed 100 % for indigenously manufactured scheduled
formulations under price control. MAPE for decontrolled drugs is left to the manufacturer’s choice.

ED means Excise Duty.

M.C, C.C., P.M. and P.C. are fixed by the NPPA as a norm every year by notification in the Official
Gazette.

The latest NPPA norms, as of September 2004, for tablets of a typical paracetamol shape and size
are:

Conversion Cost: Rs 13.75 per 1000 Tablets

Packing Charges: Rs 2.04 per 1000 Tablets
Process Loss:
Raw Material – 3 %
Packing Material – 3 %
PM Cost: Rs 2.61 + 0.006 x 900 = 8.01

Therefore the calculation of Retail Price is as follows –

(Rs 135.70 + 13.75 + 2.04 + 8.01) x (1+100/100) =

0.97 0.97

(139.90 + 13.75 + 2.04 + 8.25) x 2 = 327.88 + ED

Assuming an excise duty similar to the calculation above, i.e., Rs 12.24 per 1000 tablets –

The maximum retail price is Rs 327.88 + Rs 12.24 = Rs 340.12

This as you would notice is way above the maximum retail price calculated from LOCOST’s actual
experience; which only means that the norms of NPPA/DPCO are already liberal. .

What is MODVAT?

MODVAT, or modified value added tax, is a taxation system that avoids tax on tax. The tax is only
on the value addition done. At present excise duty is paid as MODVAT. It works this way:

The excise duty for the finished goods is calculated at the specified rate and excise duty paid for the
raw materials used is deducted. The balance is what is payable by the manufacturer.

As mentioned earlier the prices of raw material are quoted in the trade parlance as price + + (to be
read as say Rs 120 plus plus). For example the price of paracetamol is Rs 149 + +. This means the
price of Raw Material per kg is: Rs 149 + 16 % Excise Duty + Sales Tax.

Assuming a sales tax rate of 4 % on raw material, the cost of paracetamol works out to Rs 179.75 per
kg. The excise duty is Rs 23.84 per kg

The calculation to determine the excise duty payable on the paracetamol is given below –

From 1 kg of paracetamol we get 2000 tablets of paracetamol 500 mg.

Assessable value of paracetamol tablets in the above example is: Rs 176.40

Excise duty payable per 1000 tablets at the rate of 9.6 % is: Rs 16.93.
For 2000 tablets the excise duty payable is Rs 16.93 x 2 = Rs 33.86.
Deduct the excise duty paid (on 1 kg raw material): Rs 23.84.
Total excise duty payable: (Rs 33.86 – Rs 23.84) = Rs 10.02.

This figure is slightly different from the one above because we have made corrections for losses, the
rate is not uniform @ 9.6 % for the whole year so we have taken a weighted average of the rate of
excise duty.

Sales tax is NOT calculated as above. In the case of sales tax, rebate for tax paid earlier is not given
and the tax is calculated on the sales value. There is a proposal for introducing VAT in the case of
sales tax. It was to be introduced in April 2004 but has been postponed. If introduced the calculation
will be the same as in the case of Excise Duty. The tax incidence will be less and hopefully the trade
will pass it on to the consumer.